NEWS – AUKUS Alliance to Expand Membership

AUKUS
AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between the UK, US, and Australia, was established in 2021 with the aim of bolstering each country’s security and defense capabilities, building upon existing bilateral relationships

1. Pillars of AUKUS:
   • Pillar 1: Focuses on assisting Australia in acquiring its first fleet of conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs). Notably, this does not involve transferring nuclear weapons to Australia.
   • Pillar 2: Emphasizes cooperation in advanced military capabilities, including artificial intelligence (AI), quantum technologies, innovation, information sharing, cyber capabilities, undersea capabilities, hypersonic and counter-hypersonic technologies, and electronic warfare domains.
2. Submarine Component:
   • AUKUS aims to equip Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs).
   • Australia will ultimately possess eight of these new submarines, known as SSN-AUKUS.
   • The submarines will be based on a British design but incorporate American technology or combat systems.
   • This initiative will make Australia the seventh nation globally to possess nuclear-powered submarines and the second, following the UK, to receive this technology from the US.
   • Nuclear-powered submarines offer strategic advantages such as extended range, endurance, and stealth capabilities, significantly enhancing Australia’s undersea capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
3. Nuclear Weapons and the NPT:
   • Despite the nuclear-powered nature of the submarines, the participating countries have clarified that their objective does not include arming these submarines with nuclear weapons.
   • Australia, being a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), is prohibited from acquiring or deploying nuclear weapons, aligning with AUKUS’ stance on this matter.